Key Science Vocabulary Scientific Inquiry

Transcription

1 Scientific Inquiry 1. science-- the systematic study of everything 2. scientific method--a system for solving problems or questions 3. P.H.E.O.C.S--problem hypothesis experiment observe conclusion share 4. Problem--A question the experiment should answer 5. Hypothesis an educated guess or testable If/Then prediction for an experiment 6. Experiment--the science activity that tests the hypothesis 7. Observe--to gather information using the 6 senses (common sense, sight, smell, taste, hearing, touch) 8. Conclusion --the summary of the experiment 9. Share--presenting your inferences about the experiment (an inference= tell what happened and why you think it happened) 10. property-- a characteristic used to describe something 11. quantitative observation--(qn) to gather information that uses numbers or measurement (6 legs, 23 centimeters) (N for number ) 12. qualitative observation--(ql) to gather information that does NOT use numbers or measurement (blue sky, scaly skin) (L for love ) 13. inference-- Explain what happened (using facts based on data) and why you think it happened (giving your opinion based on data) 14. variable--something that changes 15. independent variable--(i.v.) the ONE (and only one) change you test in an experiment 16. dependent variable--(d.v.) what we measure during an experiment; It changes depending on the independent variable 17. experimental control--things that are kept the same so the experiment is fair 18. control group--the group tested without the independent variable

2 Graphing 19. data-- recorded information 20. x-axis-- horizontal axis (independent variable) 21. y-axis-- vertical axis (dependent variable) 22. range the difference between the largest data value, and the smallest data value 23. scale-- the spread of data beginning with zero 24. interval-- the value of each square (what you re counting by) 25. bar graph-- a chart that compares groups of data using bars 26. line graph-- a chart that connects data points; often used to show change over time

3 Measurement Terms 27. metric system--the worldwide system of measurement; based on powers of linear--along a line (straight or curved) 29. meter-- the base metric unit of linear measurement (m) 30. centi--prefix, 1/100; (centimeter, one hundredth of a meter) 31. milli--prefix; 1/1000; (milliliter, one thousandth of a liter) 32. kilo--prefix; 1000, one thousand (kilometer, 1,000 meters) 33. matter-- stuff that has physical properties 34. mass-- the amount of matter in an object has (not the same as weight) 35. gram-- the base metric unit of mass (g) 36. weight--how much gravity pulls on an object s mass 37. volume-- the amount of space an object takes up (the size of an object as it appears visually) 38. liter-- the base metric unit of volume (l) 39. meniscus-- the curved surface of a liquid (we read the bottom of the meniscus) 40. density how much mass is contained in a certain volume; mass divided by volume; ( the broken heart) (the density of water is 1 gram per milliliter 1g/ml) 41. temperature-- the amount of movement (energy) of the particles in a substance (particles that move fast are hot ) 42. Celsius-- the metric scale for measuring temperature; water freezes at 0 o and boils at 100 o

4 Physics Terms 43. physics-- the study of motion, forces, and energy 44. energy-- the ability to do work or cause change 45. potential energy-- stored energy that can be released later 46. kinetic energy-- the energy a mass has due to its motion 47. force-- a push or pull on an object 48. work--applying a force that causes an object to move 49. load--the object that a force is applied to 50. motion-- a change in position over time 51. inertia-- the tendency of a mass to resist changes in motion (objects with greater mass have greater inertia) 52. friction-- a force that resists motion (caused when objects are in contact with each other) 53. speed-- how far something moves over time (distance divided by time; m/sec, km/hr) 54. velocity--speed and direction 55. momentum mass times velocity momentum = m v 56. acceleration--a change in velocity (a=δv) 57. gravity-- the force of attraction between two objects (greater mass means stronger gravity; closer objects means stronger gravity) 58. center of gravity-- the point in an object where there is equal mass in each opposite direction. (also called the center of mass or the center balance of an object)

5 59. Newton s First Law of Motion-- an object at rest stays at rest; an object in motion stays in motion---unless acted upon by an unbalanced force; this is inertia 60. Newton s Second Law of Motion-- Force = mass x acceleration F = ma 61. Newton s Third Law of Motion-- for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction 62. energy transfer-- energy moving from high energy to lower energy (hot to cold; fast to slow) 63. energy conversion--one kind of energy changing into another kind of energy (electricity turning into light)

6 Chemistry Terms 64. chemistry-- the study of matter, its properties, interactions, and composition 65. solid-- the state of matter that has a definite shape and volume 66. liquid-- the state of matter that does not have a definite shape but does have a definite volume 67. gas-- the state of matter that does not have a definite shape or volume 68. interface-- a boundary between two different substances 69. physical property-- any characteristic of a substance that can be observed using the senses 70. physical change-- a change in the size, shape or state of matter (the original substance remains the same)(water freezing into ice the original substance remains the same; it is still water) 71. melting-- when a solid changes into a liquid 72. freezing-- when a liquid changes into a solid 73. evaporation-- when a liquid changes into a gas 74. boiling-- when a liquid quickly changes into a gas 75. condensation-- when a gas changes into a liquid 76. solidification-- when any other state of matter changes into a solid 77. liquefaction-- when any other state of matter changes into a liquid 78. vaporization-- when any other state of matter changes into a gas (vapor is another word for gas) 79. sublimation-- when a gas changes directly into a solid or when a solid changes directly into a gas (without going into a liquid state) 80. chemical-- a substance with unique properties (bleach, salt, & water) 81. chemical property-- a characteristic of a substance that describes how it behaves in a chemical reaction (only discovered through a chemical reaction) 82. chemical reaction (change)-- a change that results in a new chemical or chemicals (the original substance(s) is changed into something new)

7 83. reactant-- a chemical that is present when the chemical reaction begins (like an ingredient) 84. product-- a new substance (chemical) present at the end of a chemical reaction 85. solution the liquid formed when one substance is mixed completely with another 86. solute-- the part of a solution that is dissolved (smaller amount/usually a solid) 87. solvent-- the part of the solution that does the dissolving (larger amount/liquid) 88. mixture-- any solution that can be easily separated (by screen, filter, evaporation etc.) 89. element-- a pure substance made of only one kind of atom (approx. 92 natural elements) 90. compound-- a substance made up of two or more different elements (water - H 2O - is made of hydrogen and oxygen) 91. atom-- the smallest particle of an element that still has all the properties of that element 92. molecule-- molecules are made up of two or more atoms (the smallest amount of a compound that still has all the properties of the compound) 93. nucleus-- the central part of an atom made up of protons and neutrons 94. proton-- positively charged particle of the atom found in the nucleus (each positively charged proton attracts 1 negatively charged electron) 95. neutron-- particle of the atom with no charge found in the nucleus 96. electron-- negatively charged particle of the atom found circling the nucleus (each negatively charged electron is attracted by 1 positively charged proton) 97. electron cloud-- is the area around the atom s nucleus where the electrons are found (also called: orbital, or energy level) 98. periodic table-- a chart of all the known elements: it gives information about the atoms of the different elements 99. chemical symbol-- an abbreviation that represents each of the known elements on the periodic table and is used in chemical formulas (C - carbon, Fe - iron) 100. chemical formula-- a description of a compound using chemical symbols and numbers (water s chemical formula is H 2O meaning 2 atoms of hydrogen and 1 atom of oxygen, glucose C 6H 12O 6) 101. atomic number-- the number of protons in an atom 102. mass number (atomic mass)-- total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom